A question about my current character... [Archive] - Wizards Community

A question about my current character... [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Illithid13
02-10-06, 02:17 PM So currently I'm playing a Barbarian in a real world (early 2nd century Ireland) campaign with a fantastical twist (magic and magical beast exist). It is realitivly low powered game, and admittedly it is great fun (never thought that a powergamer like myself would enjoy such an environemet).

The magic level of the world is the higher end of low. ie, in our first 4 weeks of the campaign we have encountered about 5 magical potions, 1 magical amulet and 1 magical long sword, but as far as our characters can tell they are week. I'm guessing the LS is only a +1.

The problem with my charactor is that he cannot use magic as it is one of his personal taboos. This in my eyes really limits his ability as a damage dealer. When we go up against any monster that has damage reduction #/Magic, I'm gimped. Also I'll miss out on the bonus to hit given to you by a magical weapon bonus, the highest being +1 for MW items, and I'll only ever get the 5 stat increases from levels (assuming the game goes to 20).

Do you guys feel that this is a limiting factor for the barbarian? We have 2 party Rogue1/fighter 2 (soon to be 3), both of which are capable of taking and dealing damage. I'm a straight Barb 4. I've seriously considered killing off my character on purpose just so that I could make a new one, but I'm heasitent as I'm admittidly having fun, so I'm kind of torne on the subject.

Anyone got some insight here? I'm on the fence and just need a push one way or the other... granted the power gamer in me is more likely to win if you guys say that not using magic is gimping my character, but at the moment, i'm leaning to just keep him for the challange...

What say you?
JimRuh
02-10-06, 02:35 PM one must rememebr that magic and magic weapons are two different things. Barbarians would not put much stok into the waving of the arms and fireball explosions, but swords as legendary as excalibur, armor made from the hide of a dfeated foe like adragon would be up his alley. To the Barbarian his power comes from himself and his weapons. He is strong with or without. Maybe talk to the DM abdout forgowing the use of any magical item and replacing it with strength of feats that take the place of magical plusses for the sense of damage reduction.
Bruunwald
02-10-06, 03:58 PM You didn't say who imposed this personal taboo on your character. Was it the DM? It would be unusual for a DM to provide his player with the character's personality and beliefs.

In any case, personal taboos can be overcome through wisdom and experience. Like when you're a kid and you think spinach is from the Devil and then you get older and try it and realize you like it.

We're not talking about a class limitation here, such as what might be imposed on a paladin. So I would suggest asking your DM how you might go about playing this character as getting used to the notion of a magic weapon.

If he was the one who imposed the restriction, simply remind him that while you agree the character would remain freaked out by real sorcery, he at least will eventually need some minor magic weapon to overcome certain damage reductions. He can still keep it low magic and he can still keep you challenged. You don't need the freaking Hand of Vecna. Just a +1 battleaxe or something. You don't even need to know it's enchanted. Maybe it's an heirloom.

I find it interesting that a barbarian from a land where historically, every rock and blade of grass was thought to hide some faerie or other, would have a personal taboo against magic. Christianity didn't make it to Ireland until the 5th Century, so if historically accurate, your character ought to have grown up believing in nature spirits, spirits of earth and of animals and plants, and legends of sorcerers and other creatures of what we'd come to call Faerie.

In any case, barbarians in general could never be considered gimped characters (that's the powergamer in you griping needlessly). They mete out extensive damage all by their little lonesomes. Sorry if that sounds like scolding, but I had a real munchkin in my game not too long ago, playing an outrageously powerful and dangerously out-of-balance barbarian, who did nothing but gripe all the time about how he thought the party's average-statted wizard was so much more powerful than he was just because he could cast fireball a couple times a day. Sheesh.

I mean, really, it's a game. You play within its limits. Power in the game is all relative. If you worry that you're not powergamed enough, ask yourself, compared to who or what? Somebody else's game? Somebody else's game makes no difference to yours.
Illithid13
02-10-06, 04:37 PM Ok, how it worked, we got to roll 3d6 6x for our stats, mine came out pretty crappy... There was an out. If we rolled % on a table generated by the DM for the campaign, we could roll 2 more "sets" of 3d6, up to 3 times. Since my best stat was 14 and the rest were under 10, I took it 3 times. My end result were 4 more 14s a 15 and a 16. but my % gave me character limitations as follows: Cannot fell a tree, cannot be killed by a sword (kind of cool), and cannot use magic. If I break the tree or magic one, I get 3 dooms... they suck as one of the players broke his and nearly got him and the group druid killed.

As to the taboo about it... My character fully believes it is real, but I've worked it into his backstory that when he was young, he felled a tree that was the home of a powerful wood nymph, and as she was dieing, she begged him to save her and plant the seed of her tree so that she could be reborn (a stretch, I know, but it works). as a result, he was blessed by the "Cannot be killed by a sword" but he refuses to use magic or fell trees...
InterSilva
02-10-06, 04:53 PM I'm surprised nobody has mentioned this. Consider the Forsaker class, or maybe even a VoP. Sure a VoP barbarian with a staff wouldn't mete out quite as much damamge perhaps as a barbarian with magic and such, but your character will be inredibly cool. The Forsaker would be a tough choice since it sounds like you don't have much magic, and the Forsaker needs to destroy magic stuff each week or day or something for his class abilities to remain.
wonlee76
02-10-06, 05:03 PM With Power Attack and Rage, is DR #/Magic that big of a problem in a relatively low magic world? I imagine in a low magic world, DR #/Magic is not that common and when it does exist, only a low number like DR 5/Magic.

I think you should hang out and have a good time. You seem to be having a good time in the game. I think the powergamer in you "thinks" he would have a better time with more magic/power.
Shaggy_Shaggs
02-10-06, 05:36 PM So, fantastic creatures exist in this game....

Have you considered becoming a lycanthrope hunter? ;)
green_yawgmoth
02-10-06, 05:40 PM Go vow of poverty if you're good, or forsaker. Your guy sounds more like a forsaker to me. It'll really help your character, both in power and flavor.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v91/yawgmoth/kittyjig.gif
Illithid13
02-13-06, 10:24 AM I did ask about the forsaker and the VoP, but the DM won't allow either. In fact, there are very few PrCs that I can take thanks to this limitation. It really just comes down to Bear Warrior and Frenzied Bazerker, and then even the Bear warrior is questionable. I'm not too keen on the F zerker as it can lead to party killing.

On Friday's game, I got a MW Greatsword. Now that I am dealing out 2d6+12 damage (thanks to Pwr Attack) I'm feeling less gimped. Due to the low starting gold and the prices of items being signifigantly different, I was eather stuck with a horible AC and a great club, or a marginal ac and a longsword... But I accuired a chain shirt and the MW Greatsword so I'm pretty happy now...

I'm thinking that I'm just going to go straight Barbarian.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Illithid13 02-10-06, 02:17 PM	So currently I'm playing a Barbarian in a real world (early 2nd century Ireland) campaign with a fantastical twist (magic and magical beast exist). It is realitivly low powered game, and admittedly it is great fun (never thought that a powergamer like myself would enjoy such an environemet). The magic level of the world is the higher end of low. ie, in our first 4 weeks of the campaign we have encountered about 5 magical potions, 1 magical amulet and 1 magical long sword, but as far as our characters can tell they are week. I'm guessing the LS is only a +1. The problem with my charactor is that he cannot use magic as it is one of his personal taboos. This in my eyes really limits his ability as a damage dealer. When we go up against any monster that has damage reduction #/Magic, I'm gimped. Also I'll miss out on the bonus to hit given to you by a magical weapon bonus, the highest being +1 for MW items, and I'll only ever get the 5 stat increases from levels (assuming the game goes to 20). Do you guys feel that this is a limiting factor for the barbarian? We have 2 party Rogue1/fighter 2 (soon to be 3), both of which are capable of taking and dealing damage. I'm a straight Barb 4. I've seriously considered killing off my character on purpose just so that I could make a new one, but I'm heasitent as I'm admittidly having fun, so I'm kind of torne on the subject. Anyone got some insight here? I'm on the fence and just need a push one way or the other... granted the power gamer in me is more likely to win if you guys say that not using magic is gimping my character, but at the moment, i'm leaning to just keep him for the challange... What say you?
JimRuh 02-10-06, 02:35 PM	one must rememebr that magic and magic weapons are two different things. Barbarians would not put much stok into the waving of the arms and fireball explosions, but swords as legendary as excalibur, armor made from the hide of a dfeated foe like adragon would be up his alley. To the Barbarian his power comes from himself and his weapons. He is strong with or without. Maybe talk to the DM abdout forgowing the use of any magical item and replacing it with strength of feats that take the place of magical plusses for the sense of damage reduction.
Bruunwald 02-10-06, 03:58 PM	You didn't say who imposed this personal taboo on your character. Was it the DM? It would be unusual for a DM to provide his player with the character's personality and beliefs. In any case, personal taboos can be overcome through wisdom and experience. Like when you're a kid and you think spinach is from the Devil and then you get older and try it and realize you like it. We're not talking about a class limitation here, such as what might be imposed on a paladin. So I would suggest asking your DM how you might go about playing this character as getting used to the notion of a magic weapon. If he was the one who imposed the restriction, simply remind him that while you agree the character would remain freaked out by real sorcery, he at least will eventually need some minor magic weapon to overcome certain damage reductions. He can still keep it low magic and he can still keep you challenged. You don't need the freaking Hand of Vecna. Just a +1 battleaxe or something. You don't even need to know it's enchanted. Maybe it's an heirloom. I find it interesting that a barbarian from a land where historically, every rock and blade of grass was thought to hide some faerie or other, would have a personal taboo against magic. Christianity didn't make it to Ireland until the 5th Century, so if historically accurate, your character ought to have grown up believing in nature spirits, spirits of earth and of animals and plants, and legends of sorcerers and other creatures of what we'd come to call Faerie. In any case, barbarians in general could never be considered gimped characters (that's the powergamer in you griping needlessly). They mete out extensive damage all by their little lonesomes. Sorry if that sounds like scolding, but I had a real munchkin in my game not too long ago, playing an outrageously powerful and dangerously out-of-balance barbarian, who did nothing but gripe all the time about how he thought the party's average-statted wizard was so much more powerful than he was just because he could cast fireball a couple times a day. Sheesh. I mean, really, it's a game. You play within its limits. Power in the game is all relative. If you worry that you're not powergamed enough, ask yourself, compared to who or what? Somebody else's game? Somebody else's game makes no difference to yours.
Illithid13 02-10-06, 04:37 PM	Ok, how it worked, we got to roll 3d6 6x for our stats, mine came out pretty crappy... There was an out. If we rolled % on a table generated by the DM for the campaign, we could roll 2 more "sets" of 3d6, up to 3 times. Since my best stat was 14 and the rest were under 10, I took it 3 times. My end result were 4 more 14s a 15 and a 16. but my % gave me character limitations as follows: Cannot fell a tree, cannot be killed by a sword (kind of cool), and cannot use magic. If I break the tree or magic one, I get 3 dooms... they suck as one of the players broke his and nearly got him and the group druid killed. As to the taboo about it... My character fully believes it is real, but I've worked it into his backstory that when he was young, he felled a tree that was the home of a powerful wood nymph, and as she was dieing, she begged him to save her and plant the seed of her tree so that she could be reborn (a stretch, I know, but it works). as a result, he was blessed by the "Cannot be killed by a sword" but he refuses to use magic or fell trees...
InterSilva 02-10-06, 04:53 PM	I'm surprised nobody has mentioned this. Consider the Forsaker class, or maybe even a VoP. Sure a VoP barbarian with a staff wouldn't mete out quite as much damamge perhaps as a barbarian with magic and such, but your character will be inredibly cool. The Forsaker would be a tough choice since it sounds like you don't have much magic, and the Forsaker needs to destroy magic stuff each week or day or something for his class abilities to remain.
wonlee76 02-10-06, 05:03 PM	With Power Attack and Rage, is DR #/Magic that big of a problem in a relatively low magic world? I imagine in a low magic world, DR #/Magic is not that common and when it does exist, only a low number like DR 5/Magic. I think you should hang out and have a good time. You seem to be having a good time in the game. I think the powergamer in you "thinks" he would have a better time with more magic/power.
Shaggy_Shaggs 02-10-06, 05:36 PM	So, fantastic creatures exist in this game.... Have you considered becoming a lycanthrope hunter? ;)
green_yawgmoth 02-10-06, 05:40 PM	Go vow of poverty if you're good, or forsaker. Your guy sounds more like a forsaker to me. It'll really help your character, both in power and flavor. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v91/yawgmoth/kittyjig.gif
Illithid13 02-13-06, 10:24 AM	I did ask about the forsaker and the VoP, but the DM won't allow either. In fact, there are very few PrCs that I can take thanks to this limitation. It really just comes down to Bear Warrior and Frenzied Bazerker, and then even the Bear warrior is questionable. I'm not too keen on the F zerker as it can lead to party killing. On Friday's game, I got a MW Greatsword. Now that I am dealing out 2d6+12 damage (thanks to Pwr Attack) I'm feeling less gimped. Due to the low starting gold and the prices of items being signifigantly different, I was eather stuck with a horible AC and a great club, or a marginal ac and a longsword... But I accuired a chain shirt and the MW Greatsword so I'm pretty happy now... I'm thinking that I'm just going to go straight Barbarian.